One White Rabbit
by Neko-Cat-Sama
Summary: Young Estel finds an injured rabbit while playing in the snow near his home. He soon finds out that bad things happen when you wander out into the woods.
1. It's Snowing

This is my first Lord of the Rings fanfic...just so you know.

**Summary: **Young Estel finds an injured rabbit while playing in the snow near his home. He soon finds out that bad things happen when you wander out into the woods.

**Rated:** T, for some violence and angst.

**Disclamer:** I do not own Lord of the Rings, nor its characters. (Sniff) I do not own the Mellon Chronicals either. I do however base my writtings off of what Cassia and Siobhan wrote.

**Background:** Aragorn's parents died when he was about two. Elrond took him in and raised him becoming Aragorn's foster father. Elladan and Elrohir love him and consider the human boy to be their brother. Aragorn was given the name Estel, Hope, by Elrond.

Elves can also walk on the snow.

**Translations:**

Ada in elvish means father or daddy.

Ion-nin means my son.

**On to the story:**

"Ada! Ada!" The young six year old ran into his adopted father's study with a huge smile on his face.

"What is it Ion-nin?" Elrond looked up from the stack of papers on his desk and studied his son as he ran up to his chair.

"It's snowing Ada!"

"Oh?" Elrond picked the little boy up and walked to the window.

"See!" Estel pointed out the window at the softly falling snowflakes.

Elrond chuckled softly at his son's eagerness. "Yes Estel, I see."

"Can I go play, please?" Elrond looked once more out the window.

"Why don't you wait until it stops snowing?" Estel's face fell and he started to protest but Elrond cut him off. "Then there will be more snow to play with." Estel was quiet for a moment then his eyes sparkled and he started wiggling in his fathers grasp, causing Elrond to put him down. He started to run out of the room but was stopped by Elrond's hand on his shoulder. "Where are you going Estel?" Estel looked up at his father and grinned.

"I am going to put on my cloak." He stated, as if it was the obvious thing to do.

"Alright Estel, I will come get you when it's time to play. Don't leave your room until I tell you."

"Yes Ada."

"And Estel, don't forget your gloves."

Estel's grin widened. "Yes Ada!" Elrond released him and the excited little boy raced out of his father's study and down the hall. Elrond smiled and went back to the papers on his desk. He would get some work done then go take Estel outside.

Later

Estel sat on the bed in his room. He stared at the door, waiting for his Ada to come and get him. His winter cloak and gloves were lying on the bed next to him. Estel sighed. It had stopped snowing several minutes ago and yet he was still inside.

If his brothers were home they would let him play now, but they weren't home. They had left two weeks ago to hunt the remaining game and to fill up the cellars. It wasn't fair. They got to play whenever they wanted to and didn't have to wait for their Ada. Estel jumped off the bed and went to go get his Ada.

Entering the study the little boy saw Elrond sitting at the desk once more going through the papers. The pile however was a lot smaller than it had been earlier. Elrond looked up and smiled at the boy knowing why he was there. "We can go play in a little while Ion-nin. I am almost done with my work for the day."

Estel frowned at the papers on his Ada's desk. "Can't you do it later? Please Ada!"

"I will be done soon Estel. Go get a snack from the kitchen. I think the head chief is making some pie." Estel pouted and went slowly out of the room. He was hungry though and pie sounded nice so Estel made his way to the kitchen.

After eating a piece of pie Estel wandered back into his room and sat once more on his bed. He look out the window and sighed. If his Ada didn't hurry up he wouldn't get to play at all. There was only an hour or so left of light.

Determined to get some playing done, Estel hopped down from the bed and put his cloak on. He grabbed his gloves and walked carefully out of his room. He passed several elves on his way to the door but they were used to seeing the child running around. They assumed Elrond was not far behind him and went on their way. Celboril, however, found it suspicious that the child was obviously going outside, judging by the way he was dressed, without his father.

"Estel." He called out to the boy. "Where are you going?"

Estel turned around to look at his father's friend. "I'm going to go play."

"Outside?" Estel nodded and tried to look innocent. "Where is your Ada?"

"He's coming." Estel felt bad but it wasn't really a lie, he told himself. His Ada was coming, just not now.

There was a crash and shouting down the hall and it was Celboril's duty to keep order in the house. "Stay close to the house." Estel nodded once more and Celboril practically ran down the hall. Estel followed Celboril with his eyes to make sure he was not coming back at the time. He smiled and went out the main doors into the yard.


	2. Lossena

**I switched places but I hope this doesn't annoy anyone too much and I also hope it is not confusing. Send me a message if you find it difficult to understand. Thanks. **

The snow had settled causing the boy's smile to widen. Everything looked white, from the trees to the ground and even the houses and stables. Estel ran away from the doors and to the right, where the snow looked undisturbed. He reached down and started to push the snow into a pile. Once most of the snow around him was gathered, Estel started patting it together and made a wall. He crouched down behind it and frowned when he noticed he wasn't fully covered. Standing up, he once more started pushing to snow, only this time from a bigger area.

Now, when he crouched behind the snow wall nobody would be able to see him. Estel gathered some snow in his hands and compressed it into a ball. Another ball joined the first and soon there was a pile of them. He decided to wait for his Ada to come and find him and when he did he would be pelted with snowballs. The little boy waited for what felt like an eternity.

He shivered and rubbed his hands together. They were cold, even with the gloves on. Standing up he decided that maybe he should go in for the day. Just as he was clearing the snow wall movement in the woods caught his eye. Careful not to make a sound he stared into the foliage and waited. He heard some odd noises and finally saw what had distracted him; a rabbit.

It was no bigger than his head, and was a pure white which is why he didn't see it right away. Estel took a step towards it and was greeted with two small black eyes. It looked scared but there was something else in its stare. Estel took another step and stooped down. If he wanted to he could reach out and pet it. Pain. The bunny's eyes looked glazed over in pain. Estel cocked his head and noticed the ground was slowly becoming pink underneath the animal.

He looked harder and saw blood spilling out of a nasty looking gash on the bunny's leg. What had happened to the creature, Estel didn't know. All he knew was that he had to get the rabbit to his father and fast. His Ada was a healer and he could heal anything and anyone. That included bunnies.

Determination sparkled in the child's eyes and he reached out to the rabbit. "Teli si. Im innas al tegi naeg le. Teli." Come here. I will not hurt you. Come. Of coarse what rabbit in their right mind would run into a strange creatures outstretched arms? None, so unfortunately for Estel the rabbit took one look at his arm and started limping away **very** quickly. "Dar! Teli da!" Wait! Come back! And Estel, being the ever helpful child, took off after it. It didn't occur to him that he shouldn't be running after an injured rabbit, deeper into the forest, when it was getting dark. Nor did he heed the fact that wild and dangerous animals lived in the denser parts of the forest by his home.

...Elsewhere...

Elrond placed his quill down on his desk and looked out the window. The sky was a spectrum of glowing oranges golds, pinks, purples, and blues. The clouds were dark and foretold another inch or two of snow would fall before the night was over. Elrond got up and stretched his stiff legs. It was too dark to take Estel out now but he would go see him and play a game before dinner. He smiled fondly. The boy would be upset but would forget and have fun after a few moments. Children were like that. They would never hold a grudge or be angry or sad for too long, especially Estel. Leaving his room he made his way down the hall and towards his youngest son's room.

...Back to Estel...

The rabbit let out a cry, stumbled and didn't get up causing Estel to skid to a halt. Bending down he peered at the animal. It was still breathing but was shivering and seemed to be crying. The young boy took off his outer cloak and very carefully wrapped the bunny in it. The rabbit whimpered and Estel tried to sooth it. "It's okay. Ada will heal you. Don't cry. Shhh. You'll be okay. I'll take care of you, Lossena." Snowy; it was a perfect name for the white rabbit. Or so the boy decided. Standing up Estel cuddled the bunny to his chest, mindful of its injuries. He looked to the right and looked to the left and came to the realization that he didn't know where he was. He glanced down and spotted his tracks. Smiling slightly to himself he found a path to take him home. He would just follow the tracks and they would lead him back to the front yard and his Ada. His smile fell however as a big snowflake landed on his arm. His Ada was not going to be happy when he arrived.

...Elsewhere...

Elrond knocked on his youngest son's door and waited. When he didn't receive an answer he opened it and walked into the room. He was not greeted with his usual "Ada." In fact it was too quiet. He looked around the room, in the bathroom, and in the closet but he could not find his son. His blood went cold and he raced out of the child's room and down the hall checking the twin's rooms, the kitchen and any and every room he could think of that the boy may be in. "Estel! Estel! ESTEL!" He stopped running just outside of his study and took a deep breath. Just as he was about to continue searching his chief adviser and his friend the balrog slayer ran up to him. "Elrond, what has happened?" Glorfindel questioned as he neared Elrond's side.

"I cannot find him."

"Who?"

"Estel. Glorfindel, I cannot find Estel. He must have gone outside. We must hurry."

Erestor nodded and disappeared down the hallway to go gather some elves to help find the boy and leaving Glorfindel to aid Elrond.

"We will find him. A search party will be at the gate in five minutes."

"He's just a baby Glorfindel. I should have been watching him. There are wolves and other such creatures in the deeper woods."

"Elrond, you did not know he would leave the house. Now I'll go help Erestor gather up a search team. We'll be ready in five minutes."

Elrond nodded and took a deep breath. He watched Glorfindel turn the corner and went to go find some blankets and strapped on his sword, just in case. He would find his son and nothing would get in his way.

...Back to Estel...

The falling snow was making it a bit difficult to see and Estel shivered. The snow was seeping through his light tunic, but he kept walking. He was just staring to recognize where he was when a sound to his right stopped him dead in his tracks. A howl. The wolf's cry was answered by another and Estel took off running, too scared to look around to see if they knew where he was. Too bad for him, they did.


	3. The Hunt Is On

**After a nice long wait here is chaper three. 

* * *

**

Chapter Three

Estel ran. He ran faster than he had ever run before. Branches pulled at his cloths and hair, scratching his face, arms, and legs as he raced passed trees. Clutching the whimpering rabbit tightly to his chest, Estel looked over his shoulder and saw dark shapes getting closer. The wolves were almost upon him.

* * *

Elsewhere

* * *

Elrond paced the front gates as the last of the search party lined up. He had found his son's tracks and divided the group into sections. "Hopefully Estel did not wander far. When you find him, give a signal and I will come." The clip-clop of fast approaching riders thundered near the gate and soon two dark haired riders galloped up through the gates and dismounted in front of Lord Elrond. "Ada, we are back."

"Why are you all standing outside after dark? Did you come out to see who caught the biggest game before Elrohir could take some of mine?"

"I would never take yours, for as anyone can clearly see, I have a bigger stag than you."

"Elrohir, Elladan Enough! Estel is missing! We must find him!" Elrond almost shouted.

"Missing, why is Estel missing?" Elladan demanded while almost at the same time his twin asked.

"What has happened to him?"

"Estel wanted to play in the snow but I told him we would play later, but he decided to go out on his own. It is my fault. If only I had paid him more attention maybe then he would not of..." Elrond's explanation was cut short by his sons hugging him. "It was not your fault Ada." Elrohir said trying to comfort his father's aching heart.

"Carú gachas! (Don't worry) We will find him. Why don't you stay here and we will bring him to you." Elladan suggested, trying to calm his father down. "No." Elrond said firmly. "I will search too." His voice held no argument. "Let us go." Elrond marched into the woods with a torch in one hand and two blankets grasped in the other. His sons followed right behind him with torches of their own.

* * *

Back to Estel

* * *

Estel stumbled over a tree root and fell to the ground. He landed with a thud but managed to fall on his side to protect the bunny from being crushed. He used one hand to push himself up while the other one held firmly to his precious bundle. The snow did not help his already damp tunic and he started shivering. Estel reached up to wipe snow of off his face and saw that he had lost his left glove. He groaned. His Ada was not going to be happy at all.

A twig snapped behind him and Estel turned to stare at several hungry yellow eyes. They stood a small distance away unsure as to the nature of the strange two legged creature. One wolf, too hungry to wait, leapt at Estel and sunk his sharp teeth into Estel's right arm. Estel screamed, dropped the bunny, and tried to pull his arm free but the animal would not let go. Drops of Estel's precious blood dripped down from the wolf's mouth and turned the snow underneath it a nice shade of pink. Estel grabbed the closest thing to him, a branch, and hit the wolf right in the eyes. The beast was so surprised it yelped and let go of Estel and started shaking his head viciously from side to side.

The rabbit had not moved since it had fallen from Estel's grasp. Estel was afraid it had died; though when he picked it up with his left hand and stared to once again run, he could feel the little bunny breathing against his chest. Estel's concern for the bunny made his little legs run faster and he hoped he would arrive home soon.

* * *

Elsewhere

* * *

Elrond cradled the small glove to his heart as he searched. They had found it not two minutes ago, along with Estel's tracks. The snow was falling heavily but the elves had not problem maneuvering in it. Their footsteps could barely be seen on the thick snow covered ground. The prints or the little human were becoming deeper and bigger showing Elrond and his company that the boy was running very quickly. The tracks had starting off approaching the dwelling of Rivendale but now they veered to the right and deeper into the wood.

"Elrond!" The lord of Rivendale turned sharply in his friend's direction and rushed over to where Glorfindale was kneeling in the snow. "What have you found?" He asked as Gorfindale turned his face to look at him. Sheer terror filled Elrond's heart as he looked down. There was human blood and paw prints in the snow, along with a piece of fabric torn off of Estel's tunic. Elrohir and Elladan hurried over and also looked down at the ground. A fierce look came over Elladan's face and one word left his mouth. "Draugs." (Wolves)

The tracks were only forty minutes old and with the speed of the elves and the lowness of the human child they would soon reach him. Still, even with this knowledge, Elrond's sense of unease tripled and he ran ahead to find Estel, the twins not far behind him.

* * *

Author's note: It is really short as it is only half or what I wanted for this chapter, but I felt horrible for not updating in a while so here it is. Hope you liked it. Sorry for the wait! The next one will be out soon...I hope. 


	4. The End, or is it?

Estel's vision blurred and his arm throbbed. He felt numb…cold. He tripped and with a sickening snap he fell once more to the ground, landing on his injured arm. Fire flared through his little body and he sobbed with fear and pain. He lay where he fell, face down in the snow, with the little bunny clutched in his other arm. He could hear the animals approach him and he screamed out in terror.

"Help! Help me! Ada! El! Help! Save me…" As he cried out in elvish, he eased himself up into a sitting position against the very tree that caused him to fall, and watched fearfully as the wolves advanced upon him. This was it. He would never see his Ada or brothers again. The large black wolf he had hit with the branch leaped at him, its eyes glowing and captivating. Estel locked on to those eyes, unable to look away as they neared. Suddenly, the connection broke as a shape entered his line of vision and blocked out the wolf.

Elrond sliced the creatures head off, anger radiating from him in waves. The twins appeared on either side of him between their little brother and the monsters that were trying to hurt him. The other wolves tensed but were too hungry to run away from their pray and continued their advance. Elladan nodded at his father signaling that he and Elrohir would take care of the threat and Elrond turned and approached his young son, who had not moved.

Kneeling down on the ground, Elrond called out to Estel. "Estel, Estel look at me."

Estel's gaze moved slowly to focus on his father's worried stare. "Ada." He seemed surprised to see his father in front of him and a little confused. "I'm s-sorry A-ada."

"Shhh Estel. This was not your fault." Elrond wanted desperately to hold his son close but he first had to asses his son's injuries. He reached out and began searching Estel's small body for injuries, his touch light as a feather as he spoke. "Estel, can you tell me what hurts?"

The boy focused for a moment, trying to isolate the pain. "My arm, the wolf bit me and I fell."

"Your arm, is that all?" Though Elrond could tell his son suffered more grievances than just his arm, he wanted to keep him conscious and talking, at least until he found out whether Estel had a concussion or not.

"No…my ankle. I…the tree…fell…cold" The boy's thoughts were starting to mesh together. Elrond carefully reached out and took Estel's arm in his hands. The teeth marks were still bleeding and further up Elrond could see a sliver of something white sticking out of his son's arm. It was then that he noticed the small bundle Estel was carrying. Estel's eyes had started to close but when his father tried to take Lossena from him he opened them wide and cried out. "No! Ada…he's hurt. You must help him. Please Ada, save him. I don't want him to die!"

Elrond looked down fondly at his son. "I will heal him Estel, right after I heal you. All will be well." He continued his inspection of his son and discovered a plethora of cuts and bruises, none too major, and a sprained ankle. Thankfully, Estel did not have any head trauma or back injuries that would have prohibited movement, so Elrond draped both blankets over his son and very carefully gathered him and the rabbit in his arms. "Sleep now Ion-nin. You are safe."

Elrohir disposed of the last wolf with a quick slash to the head before turning to his father. "How is he?" Worry was evident in his voice and eyes as he studied the child in his father's arms. Elladan, wearing a matching look of concern, walked up to his father and brothers, his sword back in its sheath.

Elrond looked down at the small human before answering. "His arm is broken, his ankle is sprained and he has severe minor lacerations. I am concerned about an infection caused by a deep bite on his arm; it has developed into a fever. However, with some care and rest he will be back to normal quickly. It could have been much worse. I could have lost him." The last part was said in a whisper but the two brothers still heard him.

"But you did not. He is strong Ada." Elrohir reassured his father while his twin placed a comforting hand on his father's shoulder.

Elladan smiled and ruffled Estel's hair with his other hand. "Let's take him home." Elrond smiled in return at both his sons and nodded in agreement.

"Though I do wonder what compelled him to go as deep as he did into the woods. Normally he stays near the dwellings." Elrohir mused, as they started walking, his curiosity getting the better of him now that the danger had past.

"I think we shall have to wait until he is feeling better to hear the whole story." Elladan replied with a sigh.

Elrond smiled. "My sons, you will not have to wait to find out." He handed his eldest the bundled up rabbit. "A rabbit?" Elrohir questioned, looking over his brother's shoulder to see what he was handed.

"Estel's newest pet." Elladan stroked the little animal's head and his eyes softened in understanding. It was just like his little brother to care so much about a small animal as to ignore his own safety. He only hoped next time Estel would be with a family member when he runs off to save another helpless creature.


End file.
